Where to upgrade first?

Indeed.

 

bingo. speakers are a must.
how big is your room and do you like to listen at high volume? I am trying to decide recommending speakers only for now or a turntable and speakers within your budget.

 

Spot on; I'd forgotten to ask. Those Klipsch he's eyeballing would overpower any room smaller than roughly 15x15, right ?

 

A standard living room. In the end LPs are my first choice, followed by CDs and then other digital sources.

 

I've been thinking of upgrading my 7 year old q acoustics 2020i's to the 3030i's.
Wondering if it would be worth it..... Hmmmm

 

I have the 3020i's and love them , sound great in our small living room, did you get the 3030i's, one review I saw said the treble isn't quite as good as the 3020i's?

 

With $800 budget, the Ascend CMB-170 speakers are known to play well in the up to $1K speaker arena. $350. Next, the Rega Brio R used is about $500. Make sure to get the R version vs the original. The Rega outplays the standard SS amps. Rega R here:
Rega Brio Integrated Amplifier - Current Version 5056186700185 | eBay

 

Here's some divergent thought: Buy the Marantz NR-1200 Receiver. Place iTunes App on your PC and use the Receiver's Airplay feature to stream all the music genres you like wirelessly with better sound quality than you are getting now; plus, you will have convenience galore to enjoy virtually all music ever recorded in the history of recorded music. Later, consider the JBL Stage A170 Speakers and an A-T stylus upgrade to ML.

 

No, I still have the 2020i's. They are working fine.
I see they are made in China, so i'm not buying them.

 

OK for ethical reasons?

 

Yeah, and the rest.
A futile gesture.....I know.

 

Fair enough, Id say all sub 500 Euro speakers are though, Dali, B&W, and Kef etc. Edit looked it up they are.

 

I know. Just as well I'm not an audiophile.

 

Sure but if your existing speakers die what ones would you get?

 

I don't know. I'm no expert.
Something mid price and hopefully not made in china.